This Saturday, Betty and I made our weekly trek to Oahu's Northshore. The weather was beautiful. We drove to the end of the road in Mokuleia, and walked the shoreline, Betty looking for salt, and me for sea shells. Then it happened! Peeking out from behind a chunk of a'a (sharp) lava I saw a flash of brilliant red and green. I knew instantly it had to be the Green Gecko, who visits to warn believers just before a disaster. And I'm a believer. Always have been. 

It's impossible not to recognize the Green Gecko. He's a brilliant smooth spring green, has little black beady eyes, and a cherry red throat spot. Unmoving except for an occasional "pushup," he eyed me for the longest time, I assume trying to convey the nature of the upcoming disaster to me. Sadly, I'm not the best at translating Green Gecko stares, but, unmoving, I eyed him back. 

It rained lightly on and off as we drove back to Honolulu, and that evening on an NHK Japan weather, Betty and I were surprised to hear mention of a tropical storm racing towards us. Sunday morning the weather was quite normal, sunny during the day with sporadic sprinkles, 15-20 mph trade winds, evening showers. The local news that night warned about the tropical storm growing into a possible hurricane. Today,

Monday, began eerily. Honolulu looked like Los Angeles during a full smog alert. No trade winds, in fact, no wind at all. Eighty-six degrees Fahrenheit, and a whopping 90% humidity. It was like waking in the center of a storm cloud. Running a hand through the air created a line of tiny water drops. If someone told me the world was going to end, I would have believed it. 

The day was long, hot, sultry. The "hurricane" was slowly devalued back to a tropical storm and finally a tropical depression. The business end of the storm has yet to pass tonight, but I finally realized what the Great Green Gecko was trying to tell me. It was all in the "pushups." The low barometer pressure has been taking its toll on my knees all day, causing aches and pains especially whenever I dipped, like the Green Gecko, when dancing. 

Thank you Green Gecko!